Nintendo Switch Year in Review

This is the Nintendo Switch year in review. Nintendo has had a tremendous first year with sales of over 10 million consoles to date, the Nintendo Switch appears to be an unstoppable force.

After a questionable console announcement event in December 2016, gamers and press alike were questioning whether the Switch could turn around Nintendos luck in the console market after the failed success of the Wii U. Many said the Switch was dead on arrival. Where were the games for launch? What were the release dates for games? Nintendo, as usual, held their cards close to their chest.

Could the console be the least powerful console compared to Sony’s and Microsoft’s established offerings and be successful. As we know from recent history with the successful Wii this was still a possibility.

Nintendo Switch Year Review: The Launch

The Nintendo Switch launched 3rd March as you would expect with a lot of buzz surrounding it. Everyone wanted to see if it was going to be a success or whether it was going to flop. Luckily, the console sold pretty well.

Sales were helped along with the launch titles, in particular, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild:

1-2-Switch

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Skylanders Imaginators

Just Dance 2017

Super Bomberman R

Nintendo Switch Year Review: Blockbuster Games

Throughout the rest of 2017, we saw a number of big hitters released for the console that kept the sales momentum going including:

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Arms

Super Mario Odessy

Disgaea 5 Complete

Splatoon 2

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

Fifa 18

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle

LA Nore

Out of all the games launched on the Nintendo Switch this past first year, none have had the level of excitement and buzz as Super Mario Odessey.

This game is a system seller. It is the first Mario game in the in the same vein as Super Mario 64 from way back on the Nintendo 64. The game is amazing and is well deserved of the high review scores that have been given to it.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild caused a stir when it launched alongside the console. It was a system seller but many Wii U owners bought it for the Wii U rather than buying a new console, even as many were also cautious of the new hardware. Again this is a game worthy of the high review scores and awards it has won since launch.

Nindies on Nintendo Switch

Indie games have become an important part of establishing the Switch console as a viable second console. There has been a steady trickle of Nindies throughout the year. Then as the Christmas period was in full swing and the number of games being launched on the Nintendo E-shop was unbelievable. Just looking at the coming soon section there were two, three and even more games being released daily.

Some of the best games for the Nintendo Switch are Nindie games. Here are some of those highlights:

Shovel Knight

The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+

Rime

Stardew Valley

SteamWorld Dig 2

Cave Story

Golf Story

Sonic Mania

Rocket League

The list goes on. These games are an ideal fit for the console. Their small file sizes allow them to easily fit on the internal hard drive as well as memory cards. Also, the pickup and play nature of a lot of them makes them ideal for the handheld nature of the console.

Looking to the year ahead

So the first year for the Nintendo Switch has been eventful. So what does the next year hold for the hybrid console?

Future Nintendo Switch Games

Looking further into 2018 we have other big games releases for the Nintendo Switch:

Mario Tennis Aces

Hyrule Warriors

Bayonetta 3

Minecraft: Story Mode – The Compete Adventure

Steep

Metroid Prime 4

Yoshi

Dragon Quest Builders

This is just a taster the list of games announced grows longer by the day.

Nintendo Switch Online Service

Nintendo also has there online service to launch in 2018 although it is yet to be seen whether the yearly sub will be worth it.

Nintendos site states…

…this paid service, you can enjoy online multiplayer gaming as well as a dedicated smart device app that connects to your Nintendo Switch system and helps you connect with friends for online play sessions.

Members will also have access to the Classic Game Collection which will include games such as Super Mario Bros. 3, Balloon Fight and Dr. Mario.

Here’s to the Future of the Nintendo Switch

So that was the Nintendo Switch year review. Nintendo is off to a flying start and with all the announced games and surprise games yet to be announced. The Switch continues to break sales records around the world. The future looks very bright indeed.